Thursday, April 24, 2014

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Six Israeli military tanks on Thursday entered a border area in the southern Gaza Strip, witnesses said.

The tanks crossed into Gaza in an area called al-Qarara, north of Khan Younis, and leveled agricultural fields before leaving.

Three helicopters were seen hovering at a low altitude during the incursion.

Meanwhile, Israel's navy opened fire at fishermen off the coast of northern Gaza, locals said.

An
Israeli army spokeswoman said a "Palestinian vessel deviated from the
designated fishing zone. Naval forces called at them to stop and fired
warning shots in the air. Once it failed to comply, naval forces
approached the vessel and the fishermen were taken for questioning."

Local activists named the fishermen as Hamdi Sultan and Muhammad Zayid.

In
the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to a 20-nautical-mile fishing zone off
Gaza's coast but it imposed a 3-mile limit for several years, opening
fire at fishermen who strayed further.

Israel has controlled Gaza
waters since its occupation of the area in 1967, and has kept several
warships stationed off the coast since 2008.

Friday, April 18, 2014

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian man near Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday.

Spokesman
for the Gaza Strip Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra said that a
24-year-old man was shot by Israeli forces east of Jabaliya and was
subsequently transferred to Kamal Adwan Hospital.

Al-Qidra described the injuries sustained by the man as "moderate."

An
Israeli military spokeswoman said that "a crowd of Palestinians
gathered in a prohibited area," and as a result "soldiers tried to
distance them using riot dispersal means and warning shots."

She added that soldiers then opened fire toward the lower extremities of a "main instigator" and identified a hit.

Separately,
Israeli forces opened fire on a demonstration around noon near
southeast of Gaza City that had been called for in support of the
Al-Aqsa mosque compound by the coalition "Palestine Youth Coalition."

Friday, April 11, 2014

GAZA CITY
(Ma'an) -- Five Palestinian medics suffered from excessive tear gas
inhalation after Israeli forces fired a tear gas canister at their
ambulance in the northern Gaza Strip, a medical official said.

Spokesman
for the Gaza Strip ministry of health Ashraf al-Qidra said that Israeli
forces had "targeted" three military ambulances near the Eastern
Cemetery east of Jabaliya.

The five medics were treated on the scene, he added.

The circumstances of the reported attack were not immediately clear.

An Israeli military spokeswoman had no information regarding the incident.

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Four
Palestinians were injured across the Gaza Strip on Thursday as Israeli
forces opened fire in two incidents and fired a tank shell into the
besieged Palestinian enclave, medical sources said.

A young Palestinian was shot and injured by Israeli forces east of Jabaliya refugee camp north of Gaza on Thursday afternoon.

Spokesman
for the Gaza Strip ministry of heath Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma'an that a
24-year-old was shot in the foot near the eastern cemetery.

He was taken to Kamal Adwan Hospital with moderate injuries, al-Qidra added.

An
Israeli army spokeswoman said that "suspects approached the fence and
were called numerous times to stop," but after they failed to do so
soldiers opened fire towards their "lower extremities." She could not
confirm any hits.

The shooting follows an incident in the morning
when three Palestinian men were shot and injured by Israeli fire near
the Erez/Beit Hanoun crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian
medical and security sources said.

The sources said Israeli
troops stationed on monitor towers opened fire at workers collecting
small stones from fields to be used for making concrete, injuring three
workers seriously.

Palestinian ambulances evacuated the victims to Kamal Udwan hospital.

An
Israeli army spokeswoman said Israeli forces fired at Palestinians who
had gathered near the crossing after the failed to respond to warning
shots and riot-dispersal means.

She could not confirm if any direct hits were registered.

Earlier, Israeli forces fired an artillery shell at an open area in the northern Gaza Strip, witnesses told Ma'an.

The tank shell landed in an open area near Erez crossing.

The
area, according to witnesses, was an Israeli industrial zone before
Israeli forces disengaged from the Gaza Strip in 2005. No injuries were
reported in that incident.

The National Resistance Brigades, a
military wing affiliated to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, told Ma'an that fighters affiliated to the group detonated an
explosive device near the crossing.

Israeli forces frequently
shoot at farmers and other civilians inside the Gaza Strip if they
approach large swathes of land near the border that the Israeli military
has deemed off-limits to Palestinians.

The "security buffer
zone" extends between 500 meters and 1500 meters into the Strip,
effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.

According to
UNOCHA, 17 percent of Gaza's total land area and 35 percent of its
agricultural land were within the buffer zone as of 2010, directly
affecting the lives and livelihoods of more than 100,000 Gazans.

The Gaza Strip has been under a severe economic blockade imposed by the State of Israel since 2006.

The
blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip
and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.

Locals said six military vehicles entered Gaza east of al-Qarara. No shooting was reported.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was not familiar with the incident.

Separately,
Israeli warships opened fire at Palestinian fishermen off the coast of
northern Gaza City, causing damages to one fishing boat.

A
fisherman told Ma'an an Israeli naval squadron fired at Palestinian
boats near the al-Sudaniyya neighborhood. No injuries were reported.

An
Israeli military spokeswoman said she knew of "several instances where
boats deviated from their designated fishing zones" overnight off the
coast of Gaza.

The spokeswoman said the Israeli navy fired
warning shots into the air or in the vicinity of the Palestinian boats,
but not directly at the boats or the fishermen.

In the Oslo
Accords, Israel agreed to a 20-nautical-mile fishing zone off Gaza's
coast but it has imposed a three-mile limit for several years, opening
fire at fishermen who stray further.

Israel has controlled Gaza's
waters since its occupation of the area in 1967, and has stationed
warships off the coast since 2008.

There are some 4,000 fishermen
in Gaza. According to a 2011 report by the International Committee of
the Red Cross, 90 percent are poor, a 40 percent increase from 2008
resulting from Israeli limits on the fishing industry.

About this blog

This is a blog about Gaza farmers, workers and all the civilian population living in Gaza Strip rural communities along the Green Line, suffering from daily Israeli attacks and resisting the implementation of a so called "buffer zone" by the Israeli Occupation Forces.

Note: this blog is focusing on Israeli attacks on civilians inside or around the so called "buffer zone". Attacks on resistance fighters, or attacks, usually airstrikes on civilians further inside the Gaza Strip, or along the Egypt border (apart from the eastern areas such as Al Shoka or the airport area) are usually not mentioned. For the attacks of the Israeli Navy see http://fishingunderfire.blogspot.com/